


Give your love away

by lCheekyl



Category: Les Misérables - All Media Types, Les Misérables - Victor Hugo
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Friends to Lovers, M/M, Romantic Fluff, Secret Admirer
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-20
Updated: 2020-05-20
Packaged: 2021-03-02 22:47:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 12,433
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24284602
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lCheekyl/pseuds/lCheekyl
Summary: The weeks leading to R's birthday prove to be more interesting than usual.
Relationships: Enjolras & Cosette siblings, Enjolras/Grantaire (Les Misérables), Grantaire & Jean Prouvaire
Comments: 8
Kudos: 64





	Give your love away

He was tired, it had been a long ride home and he’d had an especially stressful time navigating the public transportation system, days like this were the only reason that made him regret his decision of not driving, not that a car would help much with traffic as it was but at least he wouldn’t have to deal with people pushing him around and being rude in a small confined space, no, if he had a car then it would be rude people trying to honk his way over him.

He dragged his tired feet to the door of his apartment, getting the keys out with only the thought of a warm meal in mind when something caught his eye, right in front of his door he found a small pot of forget me nots, the small flowers contrasting with the dark hallway floor. He took them with a roll of his eyes and went inside his shared place.

“Honey I'm home!” R yelled.

Jehan turned around on the living room couch and smiled at him. “Hi, you brought flowers?”

Grantaire only stared at them for a couple seconds. “How much did you smoke? Not only you left your plants outside but you also forgot you brought plants?” He said, laughing at his friend carelessness.

“I have no idea what you're talking about, I did not buy anything today, were those outside our door?” Jehan said, paying more attention now.

R walked fully into the room and sat in front of the coffee table, placing the small pot on it, he had been mocking Jehan for not paying attention not five minutes ago and now he could see that he was just as inattentive, he didn’t need to look for long, just a quick glance at the plant showed something was tied to one of the delicate stems, a very obvious card with a small cursive R at the front. Grantaire detached it from it to open it, thinking it was probably from one of his friends or maybe even a relative getting dates mixed but the piece of cardboard only read:

_I walk across a flower shop every week but today when I looked at the display of flowers on the window the image of blue blossoms placed delicately over soft black curls came to my mind and I couldn’t stop myself from going in and getting these for you,_

_you are in my thoughts._

Grantaire´s eyes went wide open after reading the card, he turned it around over and over looking for a name but there was none, he looked at the plant trying to find something that made sense, a sign of a joke, anything, but it was just a normal if very pretty bunch of flowers.

“Jehan, you sure you didn’t send me flowers? You didn’t place an order and forgot about it? It sounds like a thing you'd do,” he asked, wishing to be wrong.

“No… If I wanted to give you flowers I'd just give them to you myself.” Then their eyes went bright with understanding. “Someone sent you flowers? Wait… what does that card say?”

R passed the card over to them without even realizing, they read it, moving their lips as they did, a small smile staying on their face. “R, this is lovely, truly. It´s sweet but genuine. Also if it had been me the note would have included a poem.” They passed it back to Grantaire with a soft look.

“I don’t understand, why would anyone send me flowers?”

“Well it’s right there, they said they were thinking about you.”

R turned to face them, finally gazing away from the pot with an incredulous look but before he could say anything Jehan interrupted him with. “Come on, I was waiting for you to have dinner and you look tired.” With that they dragged him to the kitchen to get their food, as they ate together in front of the TV R couldn’t stop himself from glancing at the small plant every couple of minutes, a question in his mind and worry in his heart.

…

A week had passed, none of his friends or acquaintances had come forward to accept they had been the ones to send the present and he had not mentioned it to anyone but Jehan, he tried to pull the image out of his mind but found himself unable to, the small blue blooms an unnecessary reminder, now sitting on one of the windowsills of their shared place surrounded by Jehan’s plants.

The thought was still in his mind as he took a bus to get to the weekly ABC meeting after work, he liked his job, working on commissions in a small but well reputed design firm had been surprisingly good for him, the routine with set deadlines that should always be respected, relaxed office rules and creative outlet, provided enough structure for his life to take the responsible healthy adult way but left him with enough freedom that he never felt trapped, he liked the idea of finally putting his degree to a good use and in a way he enjoyed that also allowed him to stay in touch with his friends and keep the kind of lifestyle he dreamed of. So even after a busy day he still wouldn’t change it for anything, setting a time for ABC meetings had been hard with everyone having different occupations and schedules but at the end they made it work with lots of effort from the main trio, being the only ones working in the organization full time and running things smoothly as ever for over five years now and with the help of volunteers such as R.

He walked the last few blocks with his head in the clouds, thankfully the route was so familiar to him that it came automatically, feet taking him without a second thought, he only noticed he had entered the Musain when his friends waved at him enthusiastically.

The meeting wasn’t a regular planning or working one, it was closer to a celebration, they had just finished a campaign on antidiscrimination that had been one of their most successful as of yet so after months of work they were getting together to discuss their success and all the difficulties they went through along the way as well as make sure everyone was caught up before they moved to the next big project.

The group moved to the back room reserved for their meetings and got settled. He could barely focus as the rest of his friends arrived until a member of the staff directed her words at him to ask for his order, R blinked trying to stay in the moment and said, “Hello Floreal, I’d love some of the delicious nectar humans refer to as hot chocolate, if you'd be so kind.”

She rolled her eyes at him but gave him a small smile. “I’ll be right back.”

A few minutes passed, with people still arriving and finding a spot for the evening, when Floreal came back with a large tray carrying a multitude of different beverages and depositing each in front of every one of his friends, one by one getting closer to Grantaire until she carefully placed a steaming cup and bagel right under his nose, he was confused, for a second he thought maybe he had ordered something else in his distraction and hadn’t noticed, but before he could open his mouth Floreal interjected.

“Jam, hot peppers and cheese bagel.”

That did not answer R’s confusion and it showed on his face but Floreal continued with a softer smile.

“I got instructions to bring one along with your beverage.”

“Instructions by whom?”

“That I don’t know, I was told someone paid in advance to send a bagel to Grantaire in the back room but they didn’t leave a name, sorry.” She turned and kept distributing orders.

R looked down to the small plate and couldn’t complain, he loved bagels and was happy to have something to eat after a day at work, especially something made in the Musain’s kitchen so he just started to eat as the rest of the room finished filling.

The meeting had been a cheery one, everyone in good spirits after managing to make progress in the right direction, R was happy to be among friends and with a full stomach time had gone by even quicker than usual. The official part had finished and people were talking among small groups, some of them preparing to leave, as he looked to the side he saw Enjolras approaching his little corner, he looked down to his empty plate and sat next to him.

“Hi R, haven’t seen you in a while.”

He looked nice, R’s brain supplied, which was not new information nor particularly helpful either. “Well Apollo, you’ve been busy and I can’t blame you, after all, having a full time job and manage to make time to ride your chariot every morning so the sun can illuminate us poor mortals is no easy feature.”

Enjolras’ lip had a minute twitch before responding. “Actually, I’ve been as busy as usual, I just somehow seem to have lost track of our favorite skeptic somewhere along the way. Maybe you are the one busy this time, tell me, have you been dealing with your own godly affairs, isn’t it a little late in the year for the Dionysia?” He had kept a serious face during the conversation but it broke into a satisfied smile when Grantaire’s only response was a hearty laugh.

“Sadly, no, I have been working as usual but I was busy the last couple times the group met so I had to skip those, sorry to disappoint.”

“It’s fine, we missed you thought. Can I ask why were you busy?” Enjolras said, with the traces of the smile still on his face and Grantaire didn’t stand a chance.

“Oh nothing too interesting, I was cat sitting for a neighbor one time and the other just got a bit of a headache and didn’t want to go out, next time I’ll be there and I better see you too, Ange.” R was happy they could hold easy conversation like this, just amicable, none of the angry stares and huffed responses of their first encounters, sometimes he looked back and couldn’t believe things had changed so much between them.

When they first met they couldn’t be left alone in the same room for more than five minutes without one or both of them storming out and refusing to talk to the other for days or even weeks but after a few months things had slowly changed, they had talked to their friends who were not happy with their fights and decided to make an effort.

Grantaire stopped actively mocking Enjolras efforts, instead opting for politely disagreeing and defending his own thoughts in a respectful way and Enjolras responded in kindly, he stopped snapping at Grantaire every time he saw him and instead listened and answered diplomatically. They made tentative progress in meetings that soon transferred to the more informal part of their lives, soon they were holding conversations in any gathering of their friend group and the chain of text messages in their phones grew so long that they couldn’t remember what had started it.

Nowadays Enjolras showed his softer side to R and could relax around him, especially now that R had cut down on alcohol and started focusing on his career and Enjolras had accepted to stop trying to work himself to death, they had mellowed down together and their friends were profoundly glad. None of them more than R, particularly in moments such as this when he knew he was the cause for Enjolras playful demeanor, he couldn’t imagine a world in which they weren’t friends.

The conversation lasted for a couple hours more, some of their friends joining every now and then, it got dark without any of them realizing, later when the Musain was about to close they started finally saying their goodbyes and going out in groups to head home.

…

Next Sunday R woke up late and walked out of his room into the kitchen to get breakfast, Jehan was reading on the puffy chair next a window, smiling at him as he passed them but not saying anything.

R poured himself cereal followed by milk and sat down in the big couch, but as he was about to put his bowl down on the coffee table he saw a small package and eyed Jehan who was looking at him, obviously waiting. “So…“ He wasn’t particularly talkative after waking up but it wasn’t necessary because Jehan had been waiting for him to ask, response on the tip of their tongue.

“It’s for you, I found it this morning and just put it there for you to see first thing.” They looked ready for R to show them the content and were not disappointed when he took it in his hands a second later.

It was a small box wrapped in tissue paper, a card stuck on a corner with the same simple R on top as the one he had found on the first note, this one too had something written inside in cursive letters. “ _I thought you could use them for something fun, maybe to play with friends,_ ” he read it out loud for Jehan and proceeded to rip the paper open with a puzzled frown that softened after he saw what was inside.

“Chalk.”

An assortment of pieces of chalk, big and colorful ones perfect to use outside on concrete. He could already see himself in the company of friends drawing on the floor and jumping around like they did when they were kids. The grin on his face was involuntary but not less genuine and soon Jehan was joining him.

Grantaire shared his thoughts to which Jehan agreed. “Those would be perfect for Cosette’s picnic, I think most of our friends are going to be there” and after a couple seconds. “So, this is your second mystery delivery.”

R turned to them with a light flush to his cheeks. “Actually…”

Jehan’s eyes sparkled. “Grantaire what have you not told me?”

“Well, I got free food but I don’t actually know if it’s from the same person.”

Jehan looked at him with something akin to disbelief. “Of course it was them, come on! What kind of food? Like surprise homemade cookies or what?”

“No, just something from the menu, a bagel, which is kind of a weird thing to send but whatever.”

Jehan was practically beaming. “Weird? It’s perfect! Maybe if they had sent it to someone else it wouldn’t matter but it’s you and you love bagels, they sent you something you like instead of whatever people find romantic and that’s even cuter.”

“Wow wow slow down, no one said this was some grand romantic gesture, for all that I know it could be a family member trying to reconnect, a lost sibling warming their way into my life or a reality TV show that enjoys messing with unsuspecting people even more than usual.”

With a deep sigh Jehan put a stop to the conversation and went back to their corner, knowing they wouldn’t change their friend’s mind, at least not yet.

The week passed in a fast blur and suddenly it was Friday again, time for another ABC meeting.

This time, it was a lot more productive, members of the group made their proposals for new causes they could focus on and how to do it, it took them a couple hours to go through everyone that needed to talk, comments and questions, so at the end they were all ready to head home, especially knowing they would see each other the next day.

Before R could find Jehan to leave together though, Enjolras and Cosette walked over to him, the former looking tired but contented, the latter with a small wave of her hands. “Hi R, I just wanted to confirm on tomorrow, you are joining us right?”

She looked very excited and he was not going to disappoint her. “Of course m’lady, wouldn’t miss it for the world, Jehan and I have a basket ready.” He winked at her and smile grew.

“Great, there’s another thing. I got here early today and found this.” As she said that she extended her arms to pass a small envelope to him, he took it and his eyes went wide, it was a simple package, almost flat with a large R on top, one that he recognized the second he saw it.

“Since it has your name I thought it was for you.”

He just nodded, he didn’t want to have to wait to get home to open it but he also didn’t want anyone to notice so he’d have to.

Enjolras, who until that point had been silent, said, “Is everything okay?”

Apparently he was not being successful in his attempt to keep the whole ordeal a secret so he mentally shook himself and answered. “Yeah just a package,” and trying to change topic “so I expect to see you there tomorrow too, Apollo?”

“Of course.” Which wasn’t a surprise, Enjolras loved spending time with his friends and a picnic in their dad’s garden provided the perfect environment for a pleasant afternoon.

“Then I'll see you both tomorrow.” He placed a hand on Enjolras’ arm for a second and then made his way to Jehan, who was waiting for him by the door.

He threw his bag on the couch as soon as they got home and hurried to open the sealed envelope, inside he found a card, bigger than the others, that said:

_The moment I walked to the small stand I realized I was only there looking for something for you, I hesitated for a second, thinking another gift would be too weird but then I remembered your birthday was close and decided I could turn this into something, an extended birthday present of sorts. I thought it was a rather convenient idea, seeing as I didn’t want to refrain myself from sending you things I considered you would enjoy, now I have a reason not to. I hope I made the right call and chose well._

Inside, he found a piece of cardboard presenting two enamel pins connected by a small metal chain, the first one a small planet earth circled by the worlds “I’m out of this world”, the second one an even smaller rocket ship, both black with silver lines, detailed and obviously well made.

“That’s going to be a nice addition to your collection,” Jehan said from next to him, startling him into a little jump. He had forgotten he wasn’t alone.

R mumbled an affirmative and walked to his room with a blush high on his cheeks. “Night, J.”

“Goodnight, babe.” Came from the living room, Jehan just shook his head affectionately.

In his room, as he got ready to sleep he thought of spots on which to place his new present, after finding the perfect one and putting it there he closed his eyes with a soft sigh. That night he dreamt of the sun.

…

Next day, they woke earlier than usual so they could be ready on time, they arrived to Valjean’s house side by side, carrying a few containers between the two. They knocked on the big main door, as they waited Jehan eyed R, and when they spotted the pin on his jacket’s lapel they laughed for a second.

R was making a valiant effort of ignoring them when the door was opened by none other than Enjolras in all of his glory, eyes going up and dawn R’s body so fast that he was convinced he’d imagined it, before stepping to the side. “Hi, come on in, I’ll lead you to the back.” He looked at them expectantly causing R to step forward.

They walked through the house until they saw the beautifully kept garden, wild but obviously well taken care of, surrounded by many torches currently charging with sunlight, some of their friends were already there, sitting over a sea of blankets and pillows all in different styles and colors.

They stepped out to a collection of greetings, and Enjolras turned to them. “Can I help you with your containers?” Like the perfect co-host he was.

Jehan passed one to him. “Thank you, E. These need to stay in the fridge until we’re ready to eat them.” And taking a different container from R, continued. “I’ll pass the rest to Cosette to put somewhere out here, I’m sure you both can take care of the others.” With a flick of hair, they walked away.

Grantaire only snorted, Enj stood there for a second looking at the retreating form and then. “So, do you mind helping me with these? Or I could take them myself If you want to go say hi to the others.”

“And leave you in a moment of need? I’m a gentleman and I’m appalled you even mention it,” R said, mock horror coloring his posture, hand over his heart.

“Ok then.” Enjolras lightly shoved him and pointed his head in the direction of the kitchen.

Once inside the kitchen R started passing things to Enjolras who placed each one carefully into the fridge, they could hear the noise of the reunion from there which reminded Grantaire of something. “By the way, you have a beautiful garden, I can’t imagine all the work it must have been to get it to look the way it does.”

Before Enjolras could say anything though, a deep voice answered from behind. “Thank you, it is the project of a decade, I’m happy to hear you like it.”

R turned around slowly to find an older man standing under the archway, he had a familiar face, seriousness overtaken by a kind demeanor.

Enjolras finally spoke. “Dad, I thought I heard you leave, oh… this is Grantaire, R this is our dad… obviously.” The last part was accompanied by the beginnings of a blush that almost took R’s attention away from the conversation.

“Nice to meet you, mr. Valjean, you have a beautiful house.” He extended his hand trying to make use of any kind of good manners he possessed.

But he didn’t need to try very hard, since Valjean shook it firmly and exclaimed. “The famous Grantaire, I’m pleased to finally meet you, I was rather disappointed when I found out I wouldn’t be able to assist to the opening of your showcase the other day.”

R was left speechless.

“But I did go see it a few days later, I really enjoyed it, I actually got a couple things from the gift shop, the tote bag with one of your prints has gotten me quite a few compliments already.”

“I… thank you sir, If I had known I would have brought you something today but,” he eyed Enjolras whose cheeks were now full on flaming “no one mentioned you had been there.”

“They didn’t? Enjolras, I would have thought you’d pass my praise on to him, with all the time we spent talking about his amazing work, oh well this way I have the chance to tell you in person.”

Grantaire was shocked the man even knew of his existence, let alone liked his work.

“Anyway, I don’t want to interrupt your party, I just came back because I forgot something here this morning.” He patted Grantaire’s shoulder and added, “Grantaire, I hope to see you again soon, maybe you could join us for dinner sometime, I’d like to hear your thoughts on a few pieces.” He waited for a response with a smile than crinkled his eyes and at R’s exhale of a “Yes” he left, waving at both.

“So that’s your dad,” he said when he could finally talk, Enjolras nodded. “And he really likes my work?”

A small frown appeared on the other’s face. “Of course, he wasn’t lying when he said he’d liked it so much he even bought some things to take home, here look.” He pointed to a wall on which rested multiple hooks, holding an umbrella and a couple other objects on them, one of R’s designs on the second one. “He uses it all the time, and he’s a regular at the farmers’ market so you can imagine.”

Enjolras mentioned all of that with such easy confidence that R couldn’t doubt him. Before he could say anything else, Enjolras was already leading him back to their friends.

By the time they had joined them the rest of their friends had arrived and were sitting around the assortment of food and drinks, the picnic looked beautiful, everything placed over delicate plates and napkins with a couple flower vases that made it look as if it were all an extension of the garden.

Grantaire went around saying hi to the friends he hadn’t seen before and then found a spot on a soft looking pillow right next to Combeferre, after a couple minutes Enjolras followed and sat down on his other side, Cosette prompted everyone to start eating which was no hardship seeing as everything on that display looked incredibly good.

Some minutes passed with the group eating and chatting amiably, Grantaire was at present focusing most of his attention on a plate containing some rather big individual pies, when Enjolras nudged him lightly he looked at him with a shy smile and asked. “Wanna split one?” At the man’s nod he took one and divided it into two equal parts, passing one over.

As he looked at Enjolras biting into it and consequentially getting crumbs all over his lap he was reminded of something. “So say Apollo, do you think your incredibly nice dad would mind getting some color over his sidewalk?”

Enjolras stopped chowing and swallowed before answering. “I think he would probably let us paint a mural on it if we wanted, although I’m not sure that It would be considered one since it’s not an actual wall but why? What do you have in mind?”

Grantaire looked for his bag and retrieved the bundle of chalk from the inside, giving it to Enjolras whose expression was leaning on the positive. “ _That_ we can definitely do.”

But when the time came for it, they didn’t go out to the sidewalk but to the side of the garden with the small fountain surrounded by a square of concrete, Grantaire accompanied by Feuilly and Courfeyrac turned to the siblings who only smiled encouragingly and Cosette said loudly. “You can draw all over it if you want.” Followed shortly by a quick “But nothing phallic!” Everyone gave Courfeyrac a pointed look. “I do not want to have to explain that.”

They each picked a piece of chalk and started to work, their drawings getting bigger as they relaxed, the fact that they had permission finally settling on their minds.

Grantaire took his chance and moved to the fountain, drawing bright flowers all across and some simple butterflies fluttering around, he was distracted by the image growing before him so it took him some time to notice his friends partnering to trace a couple of different games on the floor around them, having just enough space to play. When they were finished, the rest of the group came closer with cheers and started to play, reminding each other of the rules, when R was done he walked away to enjoy the view and realized Enjolras hadn’t moved from his place so he rejoined him, dusting his hands off on his pants.

Enjolras tilted his head to their friends. “Don’t you want to play?”

“Nah, I rather watch them from here, I’m thirsty.” The loud sound of laughs coming from the side continued as he sat back down, a glass was offered to him and he raised his face to look into Enjolras’ who waited for him to take it.

“Thanks, I liked the decoration by the way,” he said before sipping his iced tea.

“It was Cosette’s idea, I mostly followed orders, I did make this one though.” He pointed to the couple glass containers sitting among all the empty plates. “Cosette wanted a centerpiece of sorts but we didn’t want to cut any of the big flowers from the garden so I got these instead.” Said centerpiece consisted in a bunch of small white blooms held together by a piece of ribbon and placed inside two antique glass containers that didn’t match, next to a large candlestick that was currently unlit.

“Baby’s breath.” Grantaire reached out to touch the tiny petals.

Enjolras’ eyes followed the movement. “Yeah, do you like them?”

“Of course, you did a great job, I think it’ll look even better after it gets dark and you light the candles.”

“I might take some of the flowers away though, I don’t want them to set on fire.”

Grantaire laughed at that. “Probably for the best.”

He looked back at his friend when he asked. “Can I put some on your hair?” And took some out of the arrangement, careful not to mess it up, disentangling them with firm movements.

R was helpless, if Enjolras wanted to play flower crowns who was he to deny him. “Sure, make me pass for one of the fae.”

The look Enjolras gave him was enough to make him decide he had made the right choice which was proven right when after a few seconds of Enjolras picking at the flowers’ stems he moved towards his head. “Can you get closer? I can’t reach your hair like this.” And pulled him towards him, after some fumbling around he placed a pillow over his lap expectantly, not even wanting to process what was happening R laid his head over it, hoping he hadn’t misread the situation but settled more comfortably once Enjolras started threading his fingers through his curls, careful not to pull and so softly he slowly drifted off into a short nap.

He was awoken by the sound of someone or several someones cooing over him, when he opened his eyes he saw Jehan and Courfeyrac looking right at him, the former said. “R you look so nice, like Ophelia but without the tragic end.”

They had stopped playing and he could hear music coming from a speaker, some dancing, some having a second round of snacks, he was reminded of where he was resting over when he felt the movement of Enjolras’ hand, looking up he was met with Enjolras face, with his head bent some of his hair escaping the loose bun and eyes glittering. “You lighted the candles," murmured R without moving from his spot and being rewarded when Enjolras let out an exhale and continued to caress his curls.

“I asked Ferre to do it when the sun went down, I didn’t want to move and wake you up.” The prolonged feeling of Enjolras playing with his hair was incredibly distracting but not enough to stop him from feeling the blanket covering him that had not been there before, as he looked at it, he heard, “As I said, I didn’t want to wake you.” R’s heart could have melted, especially when he saw the other man looking away bashfully.

The warm feeling accompanied him all the way home that night.

And later when he wanted to sleep, he didn’t even dare rest his head on his bed before all too carefully taking the flowers out of his hair and pressing them inside the pages of a book.

…

A few days passed by, normal as ever, before the next present arrived. It was delivered to their door on a quiet wednesday afternoon. The delivery person the store had sent didn’t offer many details, just asked for Grantaire to sign a form and handed him a cardboard box before walking away with a “Good evening.” Thrown over their shoulder.

The box was slightly bigger than the rest of the presents, at first he thought maybe it was something he’d forgotten he’d ordered or a mistake but when he opened it he found a note, this one printed in a serious font instead of the handwritten cursive he had come to recognize and it read:

R,

Lately I’ve been confronted with beautiful sights, If I were an artist I know I would have tried to capture them on paper, since I am not I’ll have to be contented with the memories of holding my breath in front of them.

Under the piece of paper, he found a sketchbook, medium size, a simple design with a thick back cover, perfect to carry around and use at any time. He immediately put it into his everyday bag.

Jehan didn’t bother hiding their smile.

…

By friday, the sketchbook’s first couple pages had been used, quick drawings of strangers he found interesting, some flowers and even a bit of calligraphy thrown in there.

The ABC meeting started and he took it out to work on a sketch of his friends as he listened to them talk and plan. At the end, he had their image in marker, some geometric details for the background contrasting with the messy organic shapes of the place.

He looked up from his drawing to see Enjolras taking a seat next to him, he had been focused on the rest of the group for the duration of the meeting but now that it was over his attention was on Grantaire. “I’ll never understand how you do that.”

R smirked. “Well It _is_ kinda my job, it would be very sad if I sucked at drawing.”

Enjolras rolled his eyes at him. “I know but every time I see you start on a blank canvas and end up with something like _that_ I’m a little bit more convinced you’re magic.”

R laughed. “Believe me, no one would like that more than me but alas I’m just a mortal with a practiced hand.”

“Still nice, must be fun. I only ever drew at school when it was required of me.”

“It is, but it’s also just what I do, I don’t think I could stop,” he answered with a shrug. “You should try again, maybe you’d like it now,” he turned the book to a new page.

Enjolras scrunched up his eyes for a bit but when he was offered a few markers he took them. “Only if you help me.”

Grantaire moved his chair even closer. “What about we start with something simple, that plant over there?”

Enjolras nodded and took a marker, looking expectantly at his new improvised teacher.

“Okay so, the way I do it in those drawings you’ve seen is, you start with a general shape, it doesn’t have to be perfect, It’s just a back layer that’s going to guide you.”

“Show me first?”

R took a different marker and set to do just what he’d said with another plant, then waited for Enjolras to follow, which he did, putting great effort.

“Great, you can darken the parts of it that have shadows, and then we take a second marker and add more detail.” He did just that on his side of the page, careful not to block Enjolras view.

He continued, focus never wavering until he had a half finished snake plant in front of their eyes.

“You’re sure you haven’t been practicing at my back?”

Enjolras’ blush was light but they were too close not to notice it, he hurried to say. “What now?”

“Now we take this other marker and add more details.” He took his eyes away from the others’ face with some trepidation.

Enjolras kept working quietly next to him, so close their arms and legs were pressed together.

“Some lights and final details here and there, and… ta daa.” He used some thin pens that then proceeded to pass to Enjolras who took his time before placing them on the table and looking up at R, clearly waiting for him to say something.

R looked down at the no longer empty page, it was obvious that one of the two pictures did not belong to Grantaire’s hand, a little shaky and disproportional as it was but it showed the person that had made it had done it with care. “It’s perfect,” there was no other way to describe it.

“I know I’m not Michelangelo, you don’t have to sugar coat it,” countered Enjolras, but the smile on his face betrayed him. In any case, R wasn’t lying, the drawing wasn’t supposed to be a “piece of art” worthy of the critics’ attention, it was just for fun and it really did look nice.

“Enj, it’s an amazing first attempt, snake plants all over the world are waiting for you to capture them on paper, but more importantly, did you like it?”

“Yes, I had a great teacher.”

That was the final push he needed. “Maybe we could try painting next time? If you want.”

He needn’t have worried about the other’s response, a simple, unwavering. “Brilliant.”

R would make sure to never lose that page.

…

There were almost two weeks left before his birthday and Grantaire was no longer surprised every time he received another mysterious package. Or so he thought until next friday.

He walked late into the back room of the Musain with a very specific person in mind, everyone was working in some way or another and he didn’t want to interfere so he waited until Courfeyrac saw him, which barely took any time at all, and leaving what he was doing for a minute, moved towards him to let him know what was needed of him at the moment, leaving him to work next to Feuilly and Bahorel for the rest of the evening.

Later that night, when official matters were done for the time being and after a fun story from Bahorel about how he’d gotten a black eye, he left them laughing to find Enjolras, he was greeted by a side hug and seated himself on the remaining empty space of the small couch, turning to the side so they could talk. “So, I have a proposition.” His friend motioned for him to follow with only a bit of a raised eyebrow. “I have this assignment at work, basically they asked me to make an illustration for a book that’s a modern retelling of a greek myth, which is cool, not only because it’s right up my alley but also because the vibe they want is exactly the kind of thing I love.”

“That’s great R, I can’t wait to see it printed.” Enjolras placed his hand on his arm.

“That’s not it though, they want the piece to have some kind of portrait and you won’t believe who’s the main character I have to draw.” At this he pointedly looked at the other man, whose eyes grew wider.

“I’m guessing it isn’t Zeus?”

“No, and I couldn’t stop myself from coming here to ask Apollo himself if he’d let me use him as my muse.”

Enjolras thought for a second that made R waver in his pursue. “What does that entail exactly?”

“Basically, spending some time sitting for me so I can make several sketches of you that would later be part of a bigger and more detailed piece, it would not be hyper realistic so you wouldn’t have to admit it was you unless you wanted, that is if you are interested, you can always say no, I wouldn’t hold it against you and you wouldn’t be hurting my feelings so don’t worry about that. Feel free to answer any way you want.” He gave him the most neutral but still encouraging look he possessed.

Enjolras thought about it for a moment. “Yes, I can do it. Just need to know when you need me.”

“You are not going to regret that, could you see me in my studio? it’s part of my official work so it would be better to do it there, also, you’re getting financial compensation, so you can add model to your cv.”

Enjolras snorted. “I rather keep it out of it, thanks. You can text me the details later if you want.”

Just as R was nodding to that last part, they were interrupted by Combeferre who directed his words at him. “I didn’t have a chance to give you this before, sorry.” He then passed him a square box wrapped in tissue paper with the well-known _R._ “I found it when I got here and kept it safe for you.”

It made sense, Combeferre was usually one of the first to arrive at meetings, it wouldn’t be weird for him to find something with the name of one of his friends and want to deliver it safely to them.

“It is yours right?” He added, seeing his surprise and causing him to hold it tighter between his hands.

“Yes! Thank you.” It made Combeferre suspicious but he didn’t press for details so he just put it inside his bag, careful not accidentally drop it.

The three continued their conversation for some time more until Jehan came to ask if he was ready to leave, at that he got to his feet and said his goodbyes.

For the second time that month, he basically ran through the door and sat on the couch to open his present.

He ripped the thin paper that covered a wood box, over the lid a folded note stating:

_I looked until I found the one that I thought would be a good match for you, please know that just as anything else I could possible give you, it comes free of expectations. You are both my stars and the sky encompassing them._

He took the lid off to find a ring, a thick silver band, in the center of it a round stone that looked almost black until the light hit it showing a deep blue that contained a multitude of tiny glittery particles.

In the time that took him to open the present and sit on the couch, Jehan had walked over and was already seating next to him but made no other move until the note was passed to them, Grantaire could know the exact moment they were finished reading because of the loud gasp and turned the box so they could see it too.

Jehan let their fingers graze it lightly and murmured. “Very dark aventurine.”

“What does it mean?” Asked Grantaire more exasperated than he thought himself to be.

“Sorry, I know the name but the meaning is beyond me, my memory is not _that_ good.” Shrugged Jehan.

“No, I mean the note, the whole no expectations spiel, who even is this person? Why would anyone…” He couldn’t finish his thoughts.

Jehan hugged him softly. “I think they just don’t want you to feel pressured to do anything, I guess that they`re going to tell you who they are at some point and they don’t want you to think you are forced to reciprocate just because they gave you presents.”

“I hadn’t even considered they would want something from me! Like what? I just don’t get it.” He had been trying to ignore the implications of those presents for weeks, that there was someone out there that for some specific but unknown reason wanted to give him stuff, but now he was confronted with reality and didn’t know what to think.

“I can’t tell you but I can make an educated guess, there’s someone out there that has feelings for you and wants to make you happy, and if they mean what they write then they do not have any demands,” they said it with a serious but gentle tone.

“So what you’re saying is that there’s someone out there with feelings for me, strong enough feelings that they are staging some kind of seduction by way of presents, amazing presents that are perfectly tailored for me and don’t make me feel like they are trying to buy me because they are actually just simple things that happen to be absolutely perfect and not your standard flashy something that’s trying too hard to be romantic but doesn’t even come close because it reeks of pretense, Oh no… this one sends the loveliest notes, out of the blue, without expecting anything in exchange, just because they happen to be oh so into me? Please, my self-esteem is better than ever but even now I can tell you I’m not all that amazing, definitely not good enough for someone to do anything like this.”

Jehan sighed. “Honey, I love you and you are being too hard on yourself, people do amazing things to make others happy all the time, why should you be an exception? And what else could this be? I’m not going to force you to believe me but please consider the possibility.”

“But if it’s true then who is it, they obviously know me, what am I going to do? What if they never give me explanations?” Grantaire was suddenly aware of how scared he was of the person behind all this just disappearing without another word, what would happen if the notes just stopped, he had no way to get back to them and ask for answers, if they decided they didn’t want to continue the charade then he would be lost.

“You don’t _have_ to do anything, if they show up you can decide how you want to proceed from there, in the meantime you can enjoy your presents.”

“This is such a mess.” Even as he said that he was fighting a smile, one that made him finally take the ring out and try it on, unsurprisingly, he loved it.

And if he takes to wear the ring every day well it matches his personal aesthetic after all.

Later that day he texts Enjolras and they settle on meeting on his studio Tuesday afternoon.

…

To Ange: I forgot to tell you to just tell the receptionist you’re working as a model and then my name

To Ange: What am I saying, they’re gonna take a look at you and just KNOW

To Ange: Especially because I told them I was getting a visit from Apollo later today

From Ange: I’m 75% sure you’re only joking

Grantaire laughed and put his phone inside his pocket, he was sure Enjolras would get there on time so he had everything he needed ready.

He had been right, not half an hour later, he heard a knock, followed by the man opening the door to peek inside. He got to his feet to greet him and lead him to a comfortable looking chair.

“So how does this work?” Asked Enjolras, looking confident as ever.

“Well I take a bunch of pictures of you in different poses and angles, then I go through them quickly to see if I have everything I need and if I do then you can leave. It’s fairly simple and shouldn’t take too long since I only need them as a reference,” answered Grantaire as he showed him the part of the room ready for the photoshoot.

“Oh I thought you’d be drawing me today.” He looked strangely disappointed which confused R.

“Nah, right now I just want to have a main reference so that later I can sketch a few concepts and start the actual drawing, but you don’t have to be here for that, it’s going to take me quite some time because I have to make different versions to give options to the client on our next meeting, once they choose one I’ll start to work on more detailed versions and go back and forth with them until we can settle for one.” Enjolras continued to look none too happy about the situation so he added. “Why? Are you getting cold feet? Because you know you can change your mind, I wouldn’t be mad and I still have time to think about something else if necessary.” He tried to sound as reassuring as possible but the expression on the other’s face only went from dejected to confused.

“No… I just thought it would take longer and I cleared the rest of my day.” He hurried to respond.

Oh so he was unhappy about wasting time that could otherwise have been used to finish some project or another, that made sense. “I should have told you before, sorry Ange. Could you not say you changed your mind and go back?” And on a fit of bravery. “Or if you want you could take this opportunity for a break, maybe go get dinner with me?”

Enjolras was suddenly in much better spirits. “Yes, that sounds great.”

“Good, now, are you ready my muse?”

They worked together for a couple hours, Grantaire guiding Enjolras, maneuvering him around and into different poses, making sure to take pictures of every possible angle, when they were done Grantaire moved to the computer to give a quick check to the pictures, Enjolras moving his chair next to him so he could see too and after he was positive the pictures were fine he started to get the rest of the things he needed to do before leaving, reassuring Enjolras it wouldn’t take him long.

At that he only answered. “Don’t worry, I can wait, I told you I had time.” And moved to wait for him on the fluffy chair from earlier, tapping at his phone and looking up to Grantaire as he worked every now and then.

He hadn’t lied, a short time later, they were ready to go, leaving the office and a smiling receptionist behind and setting a slow pace.

“So what do you feel like eating?” R glanced to his side for a moment.

“Well there’s that sushi roll Tuesday Bahorel loves or I could go for mexican, you choose.”

“The sushi place is closer, let’s go there.”

Soon after, they were sitting in a small table for two and waiting for their orders.

“So, Apollo, how did you like your evening?” Grantaire said while they waited, the silence was not awkward but he’d never enjoyed it much.

“Honestly, I had thought I’d would get kind of uncomfortable, to have someone looking at me for long periods of time without me being able to move or talk but it wasn’t, it was actually kind of relaxing to just follow your instructions.” He shrugged. “I also really enjoyed seeing you work although I’m slightly disappointed that I didn’t get to see you draw.” He talked with ease, sincere, like it was a fact and not something that made Grantaire’s heart do little jumps.

He didn’t even want to think about his words, he would accept them as casually as they had been said. “Well that won’t do.” He took his sketchbook out of his bag and opened it to a new page, then he chose a marker and looked at Enjolras who blinked.

“What are you going to do?” But if the smile on his face was any indication, he knew exactly what was about to happen.

“Don’t worry about it, you can keep talking, why don’t you tell me about your latest project? What were you doing this morning?” He applied the first layer to the paper with practiced ease. Markers were not exactly the best option if you were going for the romanticized idea of an artist, for that he should have been working with something closer to sanguine or charcoal but those were a pain to use on portable sketchbooks so he would have to make do, maybe it would be for the better, bright ink definitely suited the other.

Enjolras complied and started venting about his day, with Grantaire making comments here and there, until their food arrived. It didn’t stop Enjolras from talking every couple of bites which gave R enough time to finish his drawing once he was done with his food.

The waiter brought their dessert, setting it in the middle of their table for them to share, they thank them enthusiastically and shared a look before digging in, continuing their exchange without much of a pause.

Before they were completely done, R tore the page he had been working on off his sketchbook and offered it to Enjolras who immediately reached for it, their hands gracing for a second. Enjolras looked at his portrait, holding it so very carefully and beamed. “Thank you, can I keep it?” He asked with bright eyes.

“Of course, although it’s only a fast one, I could do something better with more time and supplies.”

“No, it’s perfect, thank you.” He fiddled with it for a moment longer before putting it inside his bag delicately to avoid creasing it, placing it inside a thick black folder.

Not much was said afterwards, they split the check and walked out staying together for as long as possible before they had to go their separate ways.

…

R had been deep in thoughts as he made his way up to his apartment, so it took him a second to process what he was seeing but when he finally did he took the bag hanging from his doorknob and turned the key around.

“R! You just missed Cosette.” Came Jehan’s voice, once he was inside the apartment.

“Huh… oh she was here today?” He moved closer to them, looking away from the bag.

“Yes, we had lunch, she wanted to see you but you didn’t get here at your usual time so she left.” They discretely eyed the package.

“Yeah sorry, I went to eat something with Enj after we were done.” He finally opened the paper bag with the small “ _R_ ” and took the card out to read it before getting anything else out.

_Someone accused me of secretly being a romantic at heart the other day, it was never meant to be a secret and those words were the last proof that showed me I should have been more open with my feelings. I’m working on it. I hate to think people might be dubious of my affections and don’t plan on letting that continue. I don’t want to hurt anyone by not letting them see the depth of what I feel._

_All of these people have mastered the art of words and use it to convey the intensity of their emotions. I hope to follow their lead._

He passed the note to Jehan who read it with raised eyebrows, and took the contents of the bag out. It was a slightly worn out book, at closer inspection he found it to be a collection of works from different authors titled “ _love letters”_ which only made him lose his breath for a second, it was clearly an old book, either belonging to the gifter of purchased in a used books store. He put it back into the bag and turned to Jehan. “So, did Cosette need something specific or was it just my sparkling personality she was after?”

“Actually, we were talking about how your birthday was approaching and she asked if you had any plans for it, I told her that I didn’t think so and she had an idea she wanted to run through you.” Excitement growing with every word.

“And you happen to know that plan?” He asked with a hint of suspicion.

“She thought it would be nice to throw you a birthday party, you know how much she likes to organize them.”

He couldn’t stop the fondness from showing on his face, he wouldn’t change his friends for anything. “Then maybe I should call her, I mean, who am I to say no to a party?”

Jehan threw their arms around him. “I knew you’d make the right choice.”

Grantaire only rolled his eyes before getting up and walking to his bedroom, bag and note in hand.

First he changed into his pajamas, because that was the only reasonable thing to do before lying on the bed, then he took the book out on one hand and his phone on the other. He called Cosette, hoping she had gotten home already.

She answered on the second ring.

“R, I was hoping you’d call,” she said happily.

“Jehan told me, sorry you had to wait.”

“Oh it’s no bother, I was going to spend time with Jehan anyway, did they talk to you about our idea?” She was clearly enthusiastic and if R hadn’t been fully convinced before, now he was, she sincerely wanted to do something nice for him and he wouldn’t stop her.

“They mentioned something about a party.” And then, “Our?”

“Yes, well I was talking to Enjolras yesterday and I came up with it but he agreed that it was a good idea, then we told our dad who also thought it was a good idea and gave us the go but I obviously had to talk to you before actually doing anything.” She explained it fast, but a part of it jumped at him.

“Your dad? Did he not approve of our friendship before or…?” He wanted to know for sure before he started to feel hurt.

“What? No, I mean we knew he would be ok with us throwing you a party but we still like to ask before using the house.”

“You mean you want to throw me a party at Valjean’s?!” For some reason it hadn’t occurred to him that would happen, he thought maybe she had talked to some other ami and secured one of their places but it made sense, their house was the biggest and their parent let them use it as they saw fit, it wouldn’t be the first time the friends got together there to celebrate something but it still felt weird because this time it would be _him_ they were celebrating.

“Of course, and I told you it’s fine, you know he actually likes you. Anyway I’ll sent a message to the others and start planning. Your birthday falls on Saturday, very conveniently if I say so, would you be ok with that day for the party or do you want to choose a different one?”

She was all business now. “Saturday is cool, I was gonna spend it with any of you anyway, now I’ll have you all.”

“Great, well this is my birthday present for you so don’t worry about a thing but if you have any request just say so, I’ll call you tomorrow ok?”

“Thank you Sette, you are the best.” He really had the most amazing friends.

“I kind of am.” Came with the exhale of laughter. “Bye, R.”

“Night.” He hung.

He put some music on his phone and redirected his focus to the book, the front cover was very simple, loopy golden letters over a dark background, he looked through it, stopping every time something caught his eye until he saw something different, almost in the middle of the book, after a particularly intense letter from a French man from the 18th century at the left side of the bottom he found a small drawing, it was a bouquet of hyacinth, simple in all red ink, he traced the pen lines with his finger and reread that part before finishing the whole thing.

…

The next Friday at the Musain everyone was working hard, knowing they’d have time to spend with each other at the party the following day, R was sitting at a back table as usual, this time with Feuilly by his side, working on ideas for the publicity campaign. Submerged in their work as they all were, time passed quickly and soon it was time to finish the meeting, some people leaving early some staying behind to finish.

Feuilly patted R’s shoulder and said, “See you tomorrow.” As he left he called quick goodbyes to the others behind his shoulder. Cosette took his place. “So… I just wanted to let you know everything is ready for tomorrow, remember 3pm.”

Grantaire knew but the reminder was appreciated. “I´ll be there, are you sure you don’t need help setting up?”

She shook her head. “Don’t worry I have it under control. Also, I don’t want you spending the morning of your birthday like that.”

He only smiled back as if saying, “Well then.” But what she’d said had made him think, what would he be doing then, he had nothing planned for before the party but there was one specific thing that came to his mind, sadly he had no power over that particular issue.

He could do nothing but wonder, would he be getting a present? Would it be the last one? The person sending them had said it was supposed to be a birthday present of sorts after all so it made sense for it to finish that day but then would he be meeting the mysterious sender tomorrow? The thought made him anxious but it was nothing compared to what he felt when he considered the only other option, the person never revealing themselves and leaving him to wonder. Jehan noticed his agitated state but didn’t mention it as they walked back home.

…

The morning of his birthday he woke up at around nine, wanting to have more than enough time to get ready in case anything happened.

He got out of bed and after going to the bathroom to wash his face and get his contacts on, walked to the kitchen in search of breakfast. What he found though was Jehan in front of the stove turning to look at him and running to hug him, murmuring. “Happy birthday R.” Over his shoulder before pulling away and getting back to cooking. “I’m making those pancakes you love because _I_ love you, I’m almost done.”

R laughed as he was shushed to the living room. A couple of minutes later Jehan came in with two trays and placed them one in front of each, they had buttermilk pancakes made with the special kitchen gadgets that shaped them as happy faces and skulls, with a side of hash browns, iced coffee and even a couple of jams, all in all it was the perfect birthday breakfast. “Thank you J, it looks amazing, I don’t even want to eat it.”

Jehan smiled and poked their food. “Well you better, I worked super hard on it.”

They had a nice meal with light conversation, when they were done they put on a movie and once it was finished went to their rooms to get ready, there was plenty of time but they still had to get to Valjean’s house and neither wanted to be late.

As R waited for his turn to shower, with every minute that passed he got more and more excited, thinking that at any moment there would be a knock on the door, half an hour passed, then one and two, once they were both dressed and looking nice they set to Valjean’s house, R tried to stop himself from feeling more disappointed with every step he took away from their place.

They arrived at the party earlier than usual and were greeted by Cosette. “R, happy birthday!” She yelled and hugged him tightly, all unpleasant thoughts fleeing from his mind the moment the door was opened, he hugged her back. “You are early so no one else has arrived but come in, we’re at the back.” They followed her to the garden.

It was the same place of the picnic from a couple weeks ago but it looked different, the blankets and pillows had been replaced by a couple of garden tables, one containing food and the other a collection of colorful beverages, the torches were still there but this time they tripled in number and paper lanterns were all over the place, making it even more colorful than it was. R’s mouth was slightly ajar when from behind came the voice of Enjolras. “Happy birthday.” He turned around and saw him carrying a chair, Valjean right next to him holding one on each arm.

“Thanks, let me help you with that,” he said but they refused his help, setting the chairs down.

“Don’t worry, this were the last ones.” Enjolras was now getting closer to him. He repeated, “Happy birthday" and hugged him for a short second.

“Thanks,” he said again and then looking at both siblings. “Thank you for doing this, it looks amazing.” Then remembering his manners. “And thank you sir, for allowing us to celebrate here, you are all too kind.”

Valjean patted his arm with a soft look. “It’s no problem, I hope you all have fun. I’m glad you arrived early, I was hoping to wish you a happy birthday before I leave so happy birthday.” Then he looked at his children. “I’ll be back late, save me some cake.” At Cosette’s “Be safe.” He gave a last smile accompanied by a nod and walked away.

When the man opened the door, they heard the sound of some more of their friends and called to them to join them at the back, that signaled the beginning of the party, friends arriving one after the other, the last one being Feuilly.

The afternoon was perfectly pleasant, weather sunny enough not to worry about rain but not so much that it turned uncomfortable, the friends spent time dancing around and playing drinking games, R was having such a great time that he hadn’t thought about his mystery presents in hours and soon the light started to go down with the sun and it was time for the torches to turn on.

If the garden had looked good before it was nothing compared to how it looked when every one of the lanterns and torches were on, it was multicolor and whimsical, R looked around admiring it for a second before going to Cosette. “I know I’ve thanked you a lot today but this is amazing, It must have taken you an eternity.” He gestured to the place around them.

“I’m glad you liked it, I actually had help, Feuilly made the paper lanterns so I only had to hang them and dad helped with other things too.”

“Well, I’ll have to thank them both later, now would you dance with me, fair lady?” He gave an exaggerated bow.

She rolled her eyes but gave him her hand and they joined some of the others where they were dancing next to the speakers.

Once the song was over, Grantaire got the feeling someone was looking at him, feeling that was confirmed when he turned to his left and caught Enjolras’ eye.

He blinked and walked over towards the edge of the garden where Enjolras was leaning on a brick wall. “If you stay there for five minutes longer Courf is going to come and drag you over to dance the Macarena.”

Enjolras stood up straighter. “Maybe later, but now there’s something I need, would you come with me for a second?”

R thought maybe he was going to retrieve the cake from the kitchen and needed help or something of the like so it didn’t seem out of the ordinary.

At R’s nod, Enjolras offered his hand and he took it without hesitation.

Enj got them out of the garden and into the house but instead of turning towards the kitchen he moved upstairs and didn’t let go of his hand until they were both inside his bedroom.

R had been to the other’s house many times but there had never been any reason for him to be in that particular room, so he took a moment to look around. It was an airy place with a big window on one side, a bookcase taking a whole wall, a door that he supposed led to a closet, a desk on top of which there was that stereotypical green library lamp that Combeferre had given him for his birthday years ago and a couple pads of sticky notes, said sticky notes were covering the wall on that side of the room, his eyes moved over them to find a bunch of frames of all sizes going from the desk to the bed, pictures of the ABC back when the group had started, some family vacation with Valjean carrying the siblings on his shoulders, some flyers and there right beside the headboard the very familiar portrait of Enjolras.

Enjolras realized what he was looking at but didn’t comment on it, instead he only tapped his shoulder to get his attention.

When he looked away from the wall he saw Enjolras extending his hand towards him, presenting him with a small black box tied with a soft ribbon. “It seemed like the right time to give you your present”.

He took it with a murmured “thanks” undid the ribbon and opened it, inside he found a silver pendant with a tiny painting of an eye, he stared at Enjolras, eyes big and searching.

“I thought a lot about if it was a good idea to give you this, I imagined you’d like the art history part of it but it also seemed like making assumptions, I don’t want to do that and you can refuse to accept it, I’d respect your answer either way,” he said it softly but confidently, as if practiced.

R didn’t want to get his hopes up so he didn’t know what to do exactly. “I’m just confused, I don’t want to sound patronizing but I’m not sure, you know what this is called right?” He asked, hoping he didn’t sound as nervous as he thought.

“Lover’s eye, Combeferre helped me with this one.”

It didn’t really clear the situation for him. “And you are giving me this because you knew how much I’d like it?” It made sense, he was a good friend that had found something special for another friend’s birthday, and that comment about assumptions was his way of saying he didn’t want him to get any ideas.

“Well I hoped you would but that’s not the whole reason, I think I should explain myself better.”

“Please”

“I got the empty pendant and commissioned someone to make a painting of my eye that fitted in it, I was searching for a way to make things known to you and guessed that this would be enough, better to show you with actions than words.”

He felt his eyes get even bigger but thankfully he wasn’t required to talk, since Enjolras continued, determined.

“My first idea was writing you a note just like the others but then you would _know_ before you even read it and this way you’d get to see your present before you had to say anything.”

_The others_

“Grantaire, I’m the one that has been sending you packages, I don’t want you to feel like I’ve been lying to you, it was always my intention to tell you about my feelings soon and it seemed like the perfect chance for me to do it as I worked up courage. I maintain what I wrote to you weeks before about not expecting anything from you. All I want is to let you know how much I care for you, you are one of my best friends and that matters to me more than you can imagine, I hadn’t said anything before for fear of losing you but then I realized it was unfair not to express the extent of my feelings for you.”

R was stunned, but then it all clicked, of course it would be Enjolras; considerate, gorgeous Enjolras, who knew him well, the answer had been there from the begging he just never considered the possibility of something so wonderful happening, but once he actually acknowledged it, it didn’t feel weird at all.

Enjolras had made a major first step and now that it was his turn to respond, he would be brave.

“I have to admit that I didn’t understand it at all when all the presents started, and I was a little bit scared of how it would end but now I’m only slightly angry at myself for not noticing before. Who else but you would show me their feelings in such a way.” He gave a step towards the other.

“So would you give me a chance?” He was still looking as if it took everything of him to remain neutral, he wouldn’t want to push.

It was the moment for sincerity and he would make use of it. “Ange, you already have my heart, you only had to say you wanted it.”

Enjolras breathed in and out fast before getting closer and taking his free hand.

“Can I…? please.” His voice was as soft as his lips after R’s nod, the kiss a gentle press that lasted only a few seconds, they didn’t pull away immediately, arms moving to hug, not ready to let go just yet.

He could feel Enjolras shaky breath on his neck, they stood like that until he suddenly felt Enjolras stiffen in his arms, and hurriedly said, “I didn’t think this through.” But before his heart dropped to the floor he added, “Now our anniversary is going to clash with your birthday.”

R would have gotten angry if not for the warmth that engulfed him at hearing Enjolras already thinking about them lasting over a year together.

“You think that’s a problem, try to come up with a present for your boyfriend’s birthday that’s good enough to make up for the ones you’ve sent me.”

Enjolras forgot his momentary worry and he could see the twinkle of his eyes. “Well calling me boyfriend is a good start so I’d say you have it covered.”

Now that things felt lighter a question came to his mind. “So, tell me, who else knew about this?”

“Well, if by this you mean my feelings then I would say Combeferre, Courf and Cosette but if you mean the presents then Cosette was the only one who knew for sure, she helped me, although I wasn’t super subtle and I’m sure other people figured there was something going on, Jehan made a few pointed comments.”

“I’m glad they didn’t say anything, I liked my surprise.”

“Speaking of our friends, are you ready to go back, we still have the cake Eponine baked you.” He finally stepped back completely but kept their fingers intertwined.

R smiled back and let himself be tugged downstairs.

FIN

**Author's Note:**

> I’m week for romance and it shows.  
> I hope you enjoyed reading it.


End file.
